Gathering mechanism for coal-loading machines.



J. F. JOY, annu us micu'msu ron con LOADING mum.

APPUQATIOR man an 9. ma.

1,295,173. Patnfeil Feb. 25,1919.

avweimtoz "U F Jay UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH F. TOY, OF NORTH BELLE VERNON, PENNSYLVANIA.

GATHERING MECHANISM FOR GOAL-LOADING MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn F. JOY, a citizen of the United States of America, residi% at North Belle Vernon, in the county of estmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Imroveruents in Gathering Mechanism for Eleni-Loading; Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The resent invention relates to certain new an useful improvements in gatherin mechanisms for coal loading machines and more particularly for that class of loadin machines which are adapted to gather coa from the H! of a mine and transfer it to conveniently placed cars for transportation from the mine, an example of which is shown and described in my nding application, Serial #132,175, filed ov. 18, 1916.

In the mining of coal, it is customary to undermine the face of the Working place and then blast the coal from its solid state by the use of explosives. When this is done, some of the coal is broken away and left in heaps adjacent the Working face, from which it must be loaded into cars, entailin labor of the most arduous character. owever, a greater quantity of coal is shattered, but remains standing in a semi-solid state.

It is the especial object, therefore, of the present invention, to provide a gathering mechanism of the class described in which the gathering means per 86 may not only move the material onto a eonveyer but also break down, in 'lumps of desirable sizes, this coal left standing.

A further object is to provide a gathering member which may yield vertically when a lump of coal of unusual size becomes wed ed between the gathering member and the shoe which is attached to the forward end of the conveyor which transfers the coal to the cars.

A still further object is to provide means whereby the g: thering member may be raised manually to direct the same into crev-' ices in the face of the vein at difi'erent distances from the mine floor and to lift the gatherin member of of the mine floor when the mac ine provided with this gathering mechanism is moved from one room to another.

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is more fully lllidllsimJd, the same consists. in the novel construction, m and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9, 1918. Serial No. 883,477.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

arrangement of arts hereinafter more fully described and s own in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figural is a side elevation of the gathering mechanism secured in place upon a con veyer, only a fragment of the conveyor beini shown, partly in section.

ig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the means employed to raise the gather.- ing member, taken approximately on line III III of Fig. 1.

Like numerals refer tosimilar parts in the several figures and referring more in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates the conveyor which is of the well known chain and scraper type and consists broadly in guideways 6 in which move the spaced chains 7 which are connected together b the scraper cross bars 8. A shoe 9 is attac ed to the forward end of the conveyor 5 and has an upwardly extending lip 10 overlying the transverse driven foot shaft 11 of the conveyor 5.

An inverted U-shaped frame or supporting member 12 has its opposite leg portions 13 riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the side plates 14 of the conveyer 5, and a shaft 15 is journaled through said leg portions. Open one end of the shaft 15 IS a. beveled gear 16 which meshes with the beveled gear 17 secured on the shaft 18'which may be driven in any suitable manner, such as by gearing to the head shaft of the con veyer 5. not shown. A bearin bracket 19 supportsthe shaft 18 and retains the, gears- 16 and 17 in mesh with each other. A. beveled gear 20 is secured on the shaft 15 approximately midway between the ends themof, and a beveled gear 21 secured on the forwardly extending shaft 22 is retained mesh with the gear 20 by the bearing bracket or shaft hanger 23 through which said shaft 22 is journaled.

Upon the forward end of the shaft 22 is carried a spiral auger conveyer and breaking down member which greatly increases in size from its forward pointed end to the rear end thereof.

A forwardly extending spring member 25 is secured to the U haped member 12 and extends downwardly to a Eoint where the shaft 22 is journuled theret rough as at 26. This member 25 constitutes a hanger for, the aha-ft 22 and is formed of spring metal to allow shaft 22 and the gathering and breaking down member or auger 24 to yield vcrtically upwardly, it being noted that the bearing bracket 23 is provided with bearings 27 loosely surrounding the shaft 15 thus allowing this vertical movement of the shaft 22 and auger 24.

Extending forwardly from and midway between the leg of the jil shaped member 12 is a bracket 28 in the arms 29 of which is journaled the shaft 3-0 to which is secured the drum 31 which is adapted to be rotated manually by operation of the handle 32. A cable is secured to the drum 31 and wound therearound, the other end of the cable being secured in the eye 34 of a swiveled collar loosely seated within a groove in the member 36 which is secured to the shaft 22. A ratchet 37 is secured to the shaft 30 adjacent the handle 32and such ratchet is engaged by pawl 38 which is pivotally mounted upon one of the arms 29, to thus prevent backward rotation of the drum at all times except when said pawl is manually disengaged from the ratchet.

When a loading machine provided with the prfasent gathering mechanism has been brought into the room where coal is to be loaded, the gathering member 24 is lowered, partially by its own weight, and partially by the action of spring 25, into contact with the floor of the mine when the pawl 38 is released from the ratchet 37,.and the machine is advanced into clos proximity to the face of the vein An undercut first made in the face of the vein, and then the pointed end of the auger 24 is moved into the space formed by this undercut or into crevices in the coal after the same has been blasted. Rotation is imparted by suitable means to the shaft 18 and such rotation is transmitted to the auger 24 through gears 16, 17, 20 and 21. The fin of the an r or gathering men bcr 24 engages with t e coal and by reason of the fact that the fin extends in a spiral direction, the same screws into the face of the vein and also pulls quantities of coal away from the face of the vein and carries 1 the same onto the conveyer When the auger has broken away coal for a suflicient height, the machine is advanced and the auger moved farther into the undercut and the larger end of the gatheringmeinber will engage with the underface of the coal and continue this breaking down. and loading operation.

In case a large lump of coal becomes wed ed between the fin of the gathering mem er 24. and the shoe 9, the spring member 25 will all w the gathering member to yield upwardlfi thus preventing the breakage of the fin. When the machine is to be moved along the floor of the mine, the bandle 32 is rotated in t he direction, of the arrow in Fig. l to wind the cable 33 upon the drum 31 and raise the shaft 22 and the girthering member This operation may be repeated until the coal has been gathered across the entire width of the working face.

\Vhat I claim as new is:

1. A gathering mechanism, for coal loading machines having a conveyer and a shoe attached to the forward end of the conveyer, including a gathering member consisting in a tapering auger vertically movable relative to and independently of the conveyor, and means t yieldingly hold said auger into engagement with the ground.

2. A gathering mechanism, for coal loading machines having a conveyer and a shoe attached to the forward end of the conveyer, including a gathering member consisting in a tapering auger vertically movable relative to and inde )endently of the conveyer, means to yieldingly hold said auger into engagementwith the ground, and manually opergted means for raising the gathering mem- 3. The combination with a conveyer, of means to move material onto said conveyer comprising an inverted U-shaped bracket rigidly secured to the conveyer, a shaft j ournaled in said bracket transversely of the conveyer, means to communicate rotation to said shaft, a shaft extending longitudinally of the conveyer and geared to the first named shaft, an auger carried by the second named shaft, yieldable means to normally maintain the auger in a lowered position carried by said U-shaped member, and means for raising said auger.

machines having a conveyer and a shoe attached to the forward end of the conveyer, comprising an auger arranged longitudinally of the conveyer and extending beyond the forward end of the shoe, means to communicate rotation to said auger, a supporting member rigidly secured to the conveyer frame, a forwardly extending spring member attached to said supporting member and normally maintaining said auger in a lowcred position, a bracket extending forwardly from said supporting member, and means supported by said bracket for raising said auger.

5. The combination with a conveyor having a shoe at theforward end thereof, of a. supporting member carried by said shoe and extending transversely of and above the latter, a shaft extending longitudinally of the conveyer, an upwardly movable hanger for said shaft carried by said supporting mem-' '6. The combination with a conveyor, of a supporting member secured to and extending transversely of the forward end of said conveyor, :1, shaft supported by said member, means to communicate rotation to said shaft :1 second shaft extending longitudinally at the conveyer and geared to the first named shaft, an auger carried by the second named shaft, and a. shaft hanger carried by said supporting member and in which the second 10 named shaft is journaled.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH F. JOY. 

